Tuesday, July 9, 2013

City Council looks to fix restaurant grading system


From CBS New York:

Reform is on the menu for the controversial New York City restaurant inspection system.

As CBS 2’s Tony Aiello reported Monday, owners hope they will not be forking over so much dough in fines. They said the current health inspection system leaves them walking on proverbial eggshells.

“It’s absolute panic,” said Leonard de Knegt of Jerry’s Café. “One dead strawberry in a box coming from a vendor — one dead strawberry — can cost you $300.”

Restaurant owners said the city’s beefed up inspections, as they are currently administered, are arbitrarily tough. They said they are fed up with fines.

In the three years since the city cooked up its letter grade system, the amount of fines paid by restaurants has skyrocketed — from about $30 million a year to $50 million.

“Food safety is no longer the focus,” said City Councilman David G. Greenfield (D-44th.) “The focus, really, is about making a quick buck.”

City Councilmembers said the system is choking small business owners, and ripe for reform.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I could understand these crack downs if there were people getting sick all the time but I hardly ever hear it any more. No restaurant wants to be the one that makes people sick. If the city wants to make a quick buck how about enforcing the laws we've had for years that have been ignored. The open flame bbq's under trees is a good place to start. Its a finable offense and its dangerous!

Anonymous said...

It must be an election year....

Anonymous said...

Vlad Bloomberg, "I've come to suck your blood...blah..blah.."

Anonymous said...

It works just fine. I haven't gotten sick eating in an NYC restaurant in two years. This is just like the teachers complaining because Bloomberg made them work for their pay. Ask the consumers, not the donors.

Anonymous said...

NOTHING the city does is for your safety. It's always about fines and money, wake up